The right application security tools can enhance your security posture and development workflows, whilst the incorrect ones may only make things more complicated and inefficient. Learn how to choose the tools that are best for your business.

Now, application security must be included from the outset and continuously strengthened throughout the development lifecycle. Even advanced development methodologies need automated solutions to fully protect their products in challenging environments where things change quickly.

Static application security testing (SAST), dynamic application security testing (DAST), and interactive application security testing (IAST) are three common AppSec tool categories that are examined in this article. We describe how these application security tools
work, go over their benefits and drawbacks, and help you choose the solutions that are best for your particular business.

Why do you need tools for app security?

Software security is becoming increasingly challenging due to several convergent developments, which also increases user risks. Code bases are becoming larger and more complicated than ever before, with unprecedented levels of internal and external interaction. New challenges are presented by methods for cloud-native and microservice-based development. Software combines components from several sources, written in different languages, and with different provenances.

The complexity of security that results from all of this cannot be manually managed by any development team. Teams want automation and smarter tools to detect issues early, comprehend them better, and address them faster.

Attackers are particularly interested in web application software since they are aware of your vulnerability. The majority of attacks and incidents were caused by web application hacking, according to Verizon's 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report. Let's look at the solutions available to help you avoid being the next data breach headline in light of that alarming number.

Web security tools come in a variety of forms

Organizations frequently combine several AppSec solutions to safeguard apps throughout their lifecycles because no one product category can address all facets of web application security. The foundation of application security is security testing, which enables you to find and fix issues throughout the development and operations pipelines. The main categories of application security testing tools will be covered one by one.

Static application security testing: SAST

Before an application is deployed, SAST tools automatically scan its source code, bytecode, or binaries to find vulnerabilities and fix them. Additionally, SAST tools can help software teams make sure that all of the code complies with their own internal coding standards and guidelines. SAST, which searches inside the code to determine the precise location of vulnerabilities, is also known as white box testing or inside-out testing. SAST technologies automate code security checks, making it possible to examine both complete code bases and isolated sections of an application. Even if the questioned code isn't yet a part of a working, live system, engineers may nevertheless understand where each potential problem lies and get feedback. This enables quicker adjustments and might help avoid future development mistakes.

Dynamic application security testing: DAST

DAST solutions use safe simulations of attacker behavior to probe operating programs from the outside in order to verify their security in real-world settings. DAST is frequently referred to as "black box testing" because it is carried out without access to the source code and from the outside.

DAST doesn't need access to the source code, hence it can be used with programs created in almost any language or a combination of languages. Online applications can use DAST tools to find misconfigurations, encryption or authentication problems, and attack vectors like server-side request spoofing and SQL injection. Because DAST requires a running application, it is frequently used in the last stages of software development.

How to Choose Your Team's Best Tools

When planning investments in AppSec products, there are several factors to take into account. Here are a few illustrations of them for different kinds of tools:

Effectiveness: How do the tools you're thinking about perform according to reliable industry metrics? How did DAST perform, for instance, in benchmarks like Shay Chen's web vulnerability scanning test? Does the tool have the ability to find every file you need, even hidden and unlinked files that some scanners miss?
There are false positives: Your security engineers or developers must manually assess everything a tool says if they cannot trust its alarms. This is excessively pricey and basically opposed to speedy advancement. When using a tool like DAST, how can you prevent this? How well does it perform? For instance, Invicti's Proof-Based Scanning analyzes vulnerabilities by running carefully calibrated test assaults in a secure manner: Less than 0.02% of verified vulnerabilities are false positives, and 94% of direct-impact vulnerabilities are automatically confirmed.
Simplicity in administration: Use, and deployment. Early IAST technology had substantial performance implications and required challenging integration. What steps must be taken in order to launch the tool? Is it straightforward to integrate with your issue-tracking software? Is there a good balance between usability and power?
Compatibility: SAST tools may not cover all of the technologies, libraries, or frameworks in your settings because, as was already mentioned, they are by necessity language-specific. Will you be able to use the tool straight away, or at the very least with easily accessible add-ons? Will you be required to purchase, set up, and manage several tools?
[b]Strengthening the group: [/b]Will the technology help you make the switch to DevSecOps or another modern method? Will it help you integrate AppSec earlier ("shift left" and more broadly across your SDLC? Will it aid in fostering collaboration and dismantling silos? Will it boost the efficiency and productivity of developers? If you don't have access to the source code, would a DAST scanner provide vague information that encourages accusation or will it provide in-depth problem reports backed by evidence?